Force Transfer Harness and Method

ABSTRACT

A force transfer harness that utilizes the harness structure to redirect the handler&#39;s forces through the harness structure and into the underlying ground is provided. Through the act of the dog sitting, the associated dog and handler cause a change in the orientation of the harness legs that allows the harness to form a support structure. After the dog sits, the harness legs are brought in contact with the ground, whereas previously they were hovering above the ground in a ready orientation. As a result, the dog&#39;s act of sitting enables the human to transfer his or her weight through the harness and into the ground.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/787,162 filed on Mar. 6, 2013, now pending,which is hereby incorporated into this specification by reference in itsentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A specially trained mobility assistance dog with associated mobilityharness, often referred to as a walker dog, is used to assistindividuals that have some form of impairment that makes it difficultfor them to walk unassisted. The aforementioned impairment is often theresult of a birth defect, physical injury, mental injury, or underlyingdisease such as Parkinson's disease or arthritis. The walker dog isoften fitted with a mobility harness that transfers the forces exertedby the human handler into the dog's front shoulders and front legs. Byusing the dog fitted with the mobility harness as a “portable walker”,the handler gains assistance with balancing, gait, and their ability toambulate.

Dogs of large stature are used as mobility assistance dogs due to thefact that the mobility harness transfers the forces exerted by the humanhandler into the dog's front shoulders and front legs. This facilitatesthe need for a large breed walker dog. The dog's girth and strength arethe principal means used to provide stability and assistance to thehandler. This is due to the fact that the dog needs to be able tosupport the handler's weight through its own front legs whileadditionally providing lateral support should the handler suddenly losetheir balance. However, large breed dogs often don't fit well into manyliving environments. Additionally, about half of existing motiondisabilities occur within the geriatric population. This group tends tohave increased difficulties in caring for and living with larger breeddogs.

Given current harness designs, mobility assistance dogs requireextensive training in paw placement and dog orientation relative totheir handler's orientation, position, and gait. It is imperative thatthe walker dog keep his body parallel to that of the handler whilekeeping its front paws in perpendicular alignment to the handler. At thesame time, the dog needs to be trained to walk when the handler isbetween strides in order to minimize the possibility of its front pawsbeing out of alignment should the handler lose balance or start to fall.All of the aforementioned training is necessary since the dog mustalways be in a position to support the handler through its own shouldersand front quarters should the handler lose balance. All of theaforementioned coordination between the handler and the walker dogrequires extensive training for the dog by itself, and the dog with thehandler. At the same time, the temperament of the dog becomes animportant factor in determining if the dog will ultimately be asuccessful walker dog. Additionally, training the dog to alert thehandler to impending dangers such as oncoming traffic can be at oddswith the dog's primary function of mobility assistance. This is due tothe fact that a traffic danger warning is usually implemented by the dogmoving to block the handler from entering the traffic zone whichinherently puts the dog out of position relative to the handler forbalance assistance. All of the aforementioned results in a dog selectionand training regimen that is onerous to the dog and the handler. At thesame time, the associated costs and time involved in training a walkerdog limits their penetration within the disabled community.

Several different mobility assistance harnesses have been developed thatallow for the transfer of forces into the dog's front quarters. As anexample, Woerner, U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,363 describes a harness with abase member having a rigid platform covering a portion of the top sideand a handle by which the handler's body forces are transferred to thedog's front quarters through the aforementioned platform.

Franck, U.S. Pat. No. 6,408,799 describes a harness that provides animprovement to the harness rigid handle allowing it to changeorientation while still remaining rigid. A rigid handle is necessary toprovide physical support and psychological assurance to the handler.However, Franck still requires that all forces are directed through thedog's front quarters.

Jenny, U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,326 describes a harness that comprises arigid handle that is easily removable, via quick release joints. Thispatent provides an improvement over other rigid handle harnesses byproviding for improved ergonomics with an easily removable rigid handle.

Woerner, Franck, and Jenny patents all provide for improvements over thestandard rigid handle assistance dog harnesses. However, all of thesepatents still require that all of the handler's forces are directedthrough the harnesses into the dog's shoulders and front quarters. Whatis needed is a harness that is able to overcome the aforementionedlimitation of directing all of the handler's forces through the dog'sskeletal structure and thereby alleviate the need for a dog of largestature that requires extensive training

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a force transfer harness (“FTH”) thatutilizes the harness structure to redirect the handler's forces, throughthe harness structure, and into the underlying ground. This alleviatesthe need to use a large breed dog for motion assistance when using theinvention since all of the handler's forces are directed through theharness structure into the ground rather than through the dog'sshoulders and front quarters. At the same time, the invention is easilyadaptable to a medium size dog without the need for extensive mobilitytraining that is associated with current mobility assistance dogs andharnesses. The FTH provides the stability through its structure ratherthan via the dog's girth. Additionally, the FTH provides on demandsupport should the handler suddenly lose balance and need to use theinvention as an instantaneous means for support. Since the inventiontransfers the handler forces through its own structure and into theunderlying ground, the need for the dog to maintain 100% alignment withthe handler is eliminated. Therefore, the training required tocoordinate the dog's motion and gate with that of the handler is alsogreatly reduced.

The FTH takes advantage of a dog's ability to sit on a given command.Through movement of the FTH handle, a verbal command, or the dog'straining associated with harness load sensing, the dog responds by goinginto a sitting posture when the handler needs support. As the dog sits,the invention forms a support to allow the disabled person to fullytransfer their weight through the FTH structure to the underlying groundwithout redirecting any forces through the dog. The result is a mobilityassistance device that can utilize a medium sized dog having littleadditional mobility assistance training that still provides full ondemand support for a disabled handler.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the present invention will be betterunderstood with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of the FTH shown in a orientationwherein the dog associated with the harness would be in a sittingposition with the harness forming a support.

FIG. 1B is a rear perspective view of the FTH shown in a orientationwherein the dog associated with the harness would be in a sittingposition with the harness forming a support.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the FTH shown in a standby orientation wherethe harness handle is retracted down position.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the FTH shown in an orientation wherein thedog associated with the harness would be in a walking position astridethe human handler.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the FTH shown in a position wherein the dogassociated with the harness would be in a sitting position with theharness forming a support and showing the dog in a sitting positionastride the human handler.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a FTH that utilizes the harness structureto redirect the handler's forces, through the harness structure, andinto the underlying ground. As the harness handle is moved from its atrest position which has the handle near the dog's hind quarters, to aposition that engages the hand of the human handler in which the handleposition is roughly perpendicular to the underlying ground, a linkagebetween the handle and the harness moveable legs, causes a correspondingmovement to occur in the harness support structure moveable legs. Withthe handle roughly perpendicular to the underlying ground the humanhandler is approximately astride the dog with the dog in a standingposition. In this position the FTH moveable legs are partially descendedtowards the ground in a partially open inverted V shaped position whilethe harness fixed legs are parallel to the ground and parallel to thedog's back. At the same time the moveable harness legs are not incontact with the ground and therefore all forces exerted on the handleare being born by the dog. However, once the dog moves from the standingposition to a sitting position the handle moves to its most forwardposition and the moveable legs, via an interconnecting linkage,correspondingly move to their maximum open position, make contact withthe ground, and all forces are distributed through the handle to thelegs and directly into the ground. In the sitting position the dog'shind quarter is now in contact with the ground, the FTH fixed legs arenow in contact with the ground, and the moveable legs are also incontact with the ground. In this position the FTH is fully capable ofsupporting the entire human handler's weight without any of the weightbeing transferred into the dog's skeleton structure.

Through the act of sitting, the dog changes the orientation of theharness legs, both fixed and moveable legs, so that they are all now incontact with the ground, whereas previously they were hovering above theground in a ready orientation. As a result, the dog's act of sittingenables the human handler to transfer his or her weight through the FTHand into the ground. Although the handle shaft remains approximatelyperpendicular to the ground as the dog transitions from a standing to asitting posture, the angle between the harness handle and the fixed legsincreases as the dog sits. This angular change moves the moveable legsby an interconnecting linkage and results in the angle between the fixedand moveable legs increasing so that a support structure is now formedbetween the fixed and moveable legs. Additionally, the fixed legs, whichare parallel to the dog's back and terminate near the dog's hindquarters, are brought in contact with the ground.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the FTH is shown in a front perspective view thatwould correspond to a position where the dog (not shown) would be in asitting position. The handle 10 is fastened to the right handle shaft 11by mechanical fasteners 13. A mechanical fastener 13 may be a screw,alternatively a spring loaded pin, or some other mechanical fastener.Handle 10 is fastened to the left handle shaft 12 by mechanicalfasteners not shown. The handle is adjustable to extend closer orfurther from the main harness body by refastening the handle 10 toalternative holes (not shown) in handle shaft 12 and handle shaft 11 viamechanical fasteners 13. Handle 10, which is fastened to handle shaft 11and handle shaft 12 by fasteners 13, are collectively known as theharness handle. Handle shaft 12 is attached to the left fixed harnessleg 30 by a pivot pin 46. The pivot pin 46 in this embodiment is arivet, but can also be any mechanical fastener such as a lock pin,shoulder bolt, screw, or other mechanical fastener that fastens the twoelements together while allowing the elements to pivot relative to oneanother. The forward movement of handle shaft 12 is limited by a stopblock 48 that restricts the forward movement of handle shaft 12 relativeto the left fixed harness leg 30.

Left fixed harness leg 30 is fastened to handle shaft 12 via pivot pin46. At the same time left fixed harness leg 30 and right fixed harnessleg 31 are each directly fastened to the harness body fabric 14. In thisembodiment the fabric 14 is fastened by means of mechanical screwfasteners (not shown). Other means of fastening the body fabric 14 tothe fixed harness legs could include, but not be limited to, a sewnpocket, glue, or other known fastening means. The harness body fabric 14keeps all components of the FTH secured to and in alignment with thedog's body. In this embodiment the body fabric is composed of a 1680denier woven nylon material that has structure and stiffness to keep theleft fixed harness leg 30, and the right fixed harness leg 31, inparallel alignment to one another while conforming to the dog's body.Other modifications to the body fabric material and body fabricconstruction will readily appear to those who are skilled in the art.Such modifications may include different material construction andmaterial types such as woven polyesters, knitted polyesters, and wovencottons to name a few. Three straps 22 which each have one end attachedto the left fixed harness leg 30 and the other end to right fixedharness leg 31 are used to secure the harness body fabric 14 to the dog.In this embodiment the straps 22 are fastened by means of mechanicalscrew fasteners (not shown). Further to this embodiment the straps aresecured to themselves by hook and loop fasteners. Other modifications tothe above embodiment will readily appear to those who are skilled in theart. Such modifications may include, for instance, strap and bucklefasteners of different configurations. Additionally, a single largerfastening strap across the dog's stomach, instead of this embodiment'sthree straps 22 might be sufficient as a means to secure the FTH to thedog's body. The primary requirement of the straps 22, or alternativefastening means, is to secure the FTH to the dog's body without allowingfor significant movement of the harness once it is attached. At the sametime the straps 22 should allow for quick and easy application andremoval of the harness to the dog without causing discomfort to the dogwhile the FTH is secured to the dog.

The left fixed leg 30 has a telescoping foot 24 that allows theeffective length of the fixed leg 30 with foot 24 to be adjusted todifferent lengths. The telescoping foot 24 is adjusted to differentlengths by depressing a spring detent pin 26 that engages differentpredrilled holes (not shown) in the fixed leg 30. In this way the totallength of fixed leg 30 plus telescoping foot 24 can be adjusted toapproximately match the back length of the associated dog whereas thebottom edge of the foot 24 approximately aligns with the dog's hindquarter. Other adjustment mechanisms for altering the length of thefixed leg might include, but not be limited to, a telescoping foot witha screw length adjustment to name one. Additionally, the spring detentspring 26 could be replaced by other mechanical means of securing thefoot 24 to the fixed leg 30 such as a thumb screw to name one.

The left moveable leg 16 has a telescoping foot 20 that allows theeffective length of the moveable leg 16 with foot 20 to be adjusted todifferent lengths. The telescoping foot 20 is adjusted to differentlengths by depressing a spring detent pin 18 that engages differentpredrilled holes (not shown) in the moveable leg 16. In this way thetotal length of moveable leg 16 plus telescoping foot 20 can be adjustedso that the orientation of the harness handle is approximatelyperpendicular to the ground 34 when the dog is in a sitting position andthe harness is transferring the human handler's weight into the ground34. Right moveable leg 17 has a corresponding telescoping foot 21 thatis also adjusted by depressing in a spring detent pin 19 that engagesdifferent predrilled holes (not shown) in the moveable leg 17. Otheradjustment mechanisms for altering the length of the moveable leg mightinclude, but not be limited to, a telescoping foot with a screw lengthadjustment to name one. Additionally, the spring detent pin 18 could bereplaced by other mechanical means of securing the foot 20 to themoveable leg 16 such as a thumb screw to name one. The same apples tothe spring detent pin 19 that could be replaced by other mechanicalmeans of securing the foot 21 to the moveable leg 17 such as a thumbscrew to name one.

The left moveable leg 16 is attached to the left fixed harness leg 30 bya pivot pin 42. The pivot pin 42 in this embodiment is a rivet, but canalso be any mechanical fastener such as a lock pin, shoulder bolt,screw, or other mechanical fastener that fastens the two elementstogether while allowing the elements to pivot relative to one another.The left moveable leg 16 is attached to one end of the left linkage 28by a pivot pin 44. The other end of the left linkage 28 is connected tothe left handle shaft 12 by a pivot pin 40. The pivot pins 40 and 44 inthis embodiment are rivets, but can also be any mechanical fastenerssuch as lock pins, shoulder bolts, screws, or other mechanical fastenersthat fastens the elements together while allowing the elements to pivotrelative to one another. As the left handle shaft 12 is moved in an arcrelative to the left fixed leg 30, a corresponding movement occurs inthe movable leg 16 via linkage 28.

Referring to FIG. 1B, the FTH is shown in a rear perspective view thatwould correspond to a position where the dog (not shown) would be in asitting position. In this view, we can see that right handle shaft 11 isattached to the right fixed harness leg 31 by a pivot pin 39. The pivotpin 39 in this embodiment is a rivet, but can also be any mechanicalfastener such as a lock pin, shoulder bolt, screw, or other mechanicalfastener that fastens the two elements together while allowing theelements to pivot relative to one another. The forward movement ofhandle shaft 11 is limited by a stop block 37 that restricts the forwardmovement of right handle shaft 11 relative to the right fixed harnessleg 31. Consequently, the harness handle made up of handle 10, handleshaft 11 and handle shaft 12, is limited in forward movement by stopblock 37 and stop block 48 (FIG. 1A). Additionally, since harness handle10 is rigidly fastened to both handle shaft 11 and handle shaft 12 byfasteners 13, the entire harness handle moves as a single unit whoseforward movement is limited by stop block 37 and simultaneously stopblock 48 (FIG. 1A).

Right fixed harness leg 31 is fastened to handle shaft 11 via pivot pin39. The right fixed leg 31 has a telescoping foot 25 that allows theeffective length of the fixed leg 31 with foot 25 to be adjusted todifferent lengths. The telescoping foot 25 is adjusted to differentlengths by depressing a spring detent pin 49 that engages differentpredrilled holes (not shown) in the fixed leg 31. In this way the totallength of fixed leg 31 plus telescoping foot 25 can be adjusted toapproximately match the back length of the associated dog whereas thebottom edge of the foot 25 approximately aligns with the dog's hindquarter. Other adjustment mechanisms for altering the length of thefixed leg might include, but not be limited to, a telescoping foot witha screw length adjustment to name one. Additionally, the spring detentspring 49 could be replaced by other mechanical means of securing thefoot 25 to the fixed leg 31 such as a thumb screw to name one.

The right moveable leg 17 is attached to the right fixed harness leg 31by a pivot pin 45. The pivot pin 45 in this embodiment is a rivet, butcan also be any mechanical fastener such as a lock pin, shoulder bolt,screw, or other mechanical fastener that fastens the two elementstogether while allowing the elements to pivot relative to one another.The right moveable leg 17 is attached to one end of the right linkage 29by a pivot pin 43. The other end of the right linkage 29 is connected tothe right handle shaft 11 by a pivot pin 41. The pivot pins 43 and 41 inthis embodiment are rivets, but can also be any mechanical fastenerssuch as lock pins, shoulder bolts, screws, or other mechanical fastenersthat fastens the elements together while allowing the elements to pivotrelative to one another. As the right handle shaft 11 is moved in an arcrelative to the right fixed leg 31, a corresponding movement occurs inthe movable leg 17 via linkage 29. Since harness handle 10 is rigidlyfastened to both handle shaft 11 and handle shaft 12 by fasteners 13,the entire harness handle moves as a single unit whose forward movementis limited by stop block 37 and simultaneously stop block 48 (FIG. 1A),and the corresponding movement of right moveable leg 17 and leftmoveable leg 16 will occur at the same time, and right moveable leg 17and left moveable leg 16 will be limited in movement by theircorresponding linkages 29 and 28 (FIG. 1A).

Referring to FIG. 2, a front view of the FTH is shown in a standbyorientation where the harness handle is in a retracted down position andthe dog is shown. The handle 10 is resting just above the harness bodyfabric 14 which is situated on the dog 32 back. Left moveable leg 16 isnow forming an angle A with respect to left fixed leg 30. Right moveableleg 17 (FIG. 1B) is now forming an angle A with respect to right fixedleg 31 (FIG. 1B). At the same time, left handle shaft 12 is forming anangle B with respect to left fixed leg 30. Right handle shaft 11 (FIG.1B) is forming an angle B with respect to right fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B).The position of left moveable leg 16 is dictated by the position of theleft handle shaft 12 and is brought to its position by theinterconnection of the left handle shaft 12, and left moveable leg 16,via left linkage 28. Likewise, the position of right moveable leg 17(FIG. 1B) is dictated by the position of the right handle shaft 11 (FIG.1B) and is brought to its position by the interconnection of the righthandle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B), and right moveable leg 17, via right linkage29 (FIG. 1B). In this embodiment in the standby orientation shown, angleA is defined as 3.5 degrees and angle B is defined as 23 degrees. Itshould be clear to anyone skilled in the art that by making changes tolinkage lengths and connection point locations that these angles candiffer from the preferred embodiment. In this standby orientation thedog is able to sit, walk, or lay down with minimal interference from theFTH.

Referring to FIG. 3 is a front view of the FTH shown in an orientationwhereas the dog 32 associated with the harness would be in a walkingposition astride the human handler 36. The left handle shaft 12 is inthe vertical position defined as being approximately perpendicular tothe ground 34. The right handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B) is in the verticalposition defined as being approximately perpendicular to the ground 34.The left fixed leg 30 is approximately parallel to the ground 34 and inline with the back of the dog 32. The right fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B) isapproximately parallel to the ground 34 and in line with the back of thedog 32. The FTH is located on the dog 32 by having the harness bodyfabric 14 in contact with the body of the dog 32 and being held in placeby the straps 22. Both the human 36 and the dog 32 have their legs incontact with the ground 34 and the human 36 is walking astride the dog32. At the same time, the human 36 is holding onto the harness handle 10with his or her associated hand The position of the left moveable leg 16is dictated by the position of the left handle shaft 12 and is broughtto its position by the interconnection of the left handle shaft 12, andleft moveable leg 16, via left linkage 28. The position of the rightmoveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B) is dictated by the position of the righthandle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B) and is brought to its position by theinterconnection of the right handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B), and rightmoveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B), via right linkage 29 (FIG. 1B). In thisembodiment in the walking position orientation shown, angle A is definedas 44 degrees and angle B is defined as 90 degrees. It should be clearto anyone skilled in the art that by making changes to linkage lengthsand connection point locations that these angles can differ from thepreferred embodiment. The angle A that is formed between the leftmoveable leg 16 and the left fixed leg 30 now forms a partial supportformation between the aforementioned fixed leg 30 and moveable leg 16.The angle A that is formed between the right moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B)and the right fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B) now forms a partial supportformation between the aforementioned fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B) and moveableleg 17 (FIG. 1B). It should be further noted that neither telescopingfoot 20 located on the moveable leg 16, telescoping foot 21 (FIG. 1B)located on the moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B), telescoping foot 24 located atthe end of the fixed leg 30, and telescoping foot 25 (FIG. 1B) locatedat the end of the fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B) are not in contact with theground 34. As a result, any forces that the human handler 36 is applyingto the FTH are being born by the dog 32 in its front quarters. However,if the dog 32 goes from the walking orientation into a sitting posture,telescoping foot 20 located on the moveable leg 16, telescoping foot 21(FIG. 1B) located on the moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B), telescoping foot 24located at the end of the fixed leg 30, and telescoping foot 25 (FIG.1B) located at the end of the fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B) would now bebrought into contact with the ground 34 and all of the forces that thehuman handler 36 is applying to the FTH would now bypass the skeletalstructure of dog 32 and be transferred through the FTH and into theground 34. At the same time angle A and angle B as defined above wouldboth increase in response to the dog going into a sitting posture.

Referring to FIG. 4 is a front view of the FTH shown in an orientationwhereas the dog 32 associated with the harness would be in a sittingposition astride the human handler 36. The left handle shaft 12 is inthe vertical position defined as being approximately perpendicular tothe ground 34. The right handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B) is in the verticalposition defined as being approximately perpendicular to the ground 34.However, unlike the standing dog position of FIG. 3, the action of thedog sitting has increased the angle B to 139 degrees while angle A hasincreased to 77 degrees. Telescoping foot 20 located on the moveable leg16, telescoping foot 21 (FIG. 1B) located on the moveable leg 17 (FIG.1B), telescoping foot 24 located at the end of the fixed leg 30, andtelescoping foot 25 (FIG. 1B) located at the end of the fixed leg 31(FIG. 1B) are now all in contact with the ground 34. As a result, theforces that the human handler 36 is applying to the FTH are beingtransferred from the harness handle 10, into the left handle shaft 12and right handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B), then into the respective left fixedleg 30 and the right fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B), and ultimately into theunderlying ground 34 via the respective telescoping foot 24 located atthe end of the fixed leg 30, and telescoping foot 25 (FIG. 1B) locatedat the end of the fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B). At the same time, some of theforces are being transferred through the left moveable leg 16 and theright moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B) and then into the underlying ground 34via the respective telescoping foot 20 located at the end of the leftmoveable leg 16, and telescoping foot 21 (FIG. 1B) located at the end ofthe right moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B). In the sitting position, theforward movement of left handle shaft 12 is limited by a stop block 48that restricts the forward movement of left handle shaft 12 relative tothe left fixed harness leg 30. Additionally, the forward movement ofright handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B) is limited by a stop block 37 (FIG. 1B)that restricts the forward movement of right handle shaft 11 (FIG. 1B)relative to the right fixed harness leg 31 (FIG. 1B). Consequently, theharness handle made up of handle 10, handle shaft 12 and handle shaft 11(FIG. 1B), is limited in forward movement by stop block 48 and stopblock 37 (FIG. 1B). Therefore, the forward movement of the left moveableleg 16 and the right moveable leg 17 (FIG. 1B) is constrained by therespective linkages 28 and 29 (FIG. 1B) connection to the respectiveleft fixed leg 30 and right fixed leg 31 (FIG. 1B).

What is claimed:
 1. A harness for use by a handler with a dog that canmove between a walking posture and a sitting posture on a ground, theharness comprising: a first handle shaft; a first fixed leg engaged withsaid first handle shaft; a first moveable leg engaged with said firstfixed leg. a harness body engaged with said first fixed leg andengageable with the dog; said first handle shaft being operable by thehandler to space said first moveable leg from said first fixed leg toform a support that is not in contact with the ground when the dog is inthe walking posture; and said support is in contact with the ground whenthe dog is in the sitting posture whereby substantially all forcesapplied by the handler to the first handle shaft are transferred to theground.
 2. The harness of claim 1, further comprising a first linkageengaged with said first handle shaft and said first fixed leg.
 3. Theharness of claim 2, wherein said first fixed leg is rotatably engagedwith said first handle shaft.
 4. The harness of claim 3, wherein saidfirst moveable leg is rotatably engaged with said first fixed leg. 5.The harness of claim 4, where in said first linkage is rotatably engagedwith said first handle shaft and said first fixed leg.
 6. The harness ofclaim 5, further comprising a second handle shaft and a second fixed legengaged with said second handle shaft and said harness body.
 7. Theharness of claim 6, further comprising a second moveable leg engagedwith said second fixed leg.
 8. The harness of claim 7, furthercomprising a second linkage engaged with said second handle shaft andsaid second fixed leg.
 9. The harness of claim 8, wherein said secondfixed leg is pivotally engaged with said second handle shaft.
 10. Theharness of claim 9, wherein said second moveable leg is rotatablyengaged with said second fixed leg.
 11. The harness of claim 10, wherein said second linkage is rotatably engaged with said second handleshaft and said second fixed leg.
 12. The harness of claim 11, furthercomprising at least one strap to secure said harness body to the dog.13. A method of providing support for a handler walking on a ground withan animal comprising the steps of: providing a harness comprising ahandle shaft; securing the harness to the animal; moving the handleshaft to a first orientation where the harness does not contact theground; and orientating the harness to a second orientation where theharness is in contact with the ground and substantially all forcesapplied by the handler to the harness are transferred to the ground. 14.A method of providing support for a handler walking on a ground with adog capable of a walking posture and a sitting posture, the methodcomprising the steps of: providing a harness comprising a first handleshaft, a first fixed leg, and a first moveable leg; securing the harnessto the dog; and positioning the moveable leg in contact with the groundas the dog transitions from the walking posture to the sitting posturewhereby substantially all forces applied by the handler to the harnessare transferred to the ground.
 15. The method claim 14, furthercomprising the step of positioning the first handle shaft to a firstposition causing the first moveable leg to move away from the firstfixed leg when the dog is in the walking posture.
 16. The method claim15, wherein the step of providing harness comprises the step ofproviding a harness body.
 17. The method claim 16, wherein the step ofsecuring the harness comprises the step of securing the first fixed legto the harness body.